


Hunting Trip

by AJshook



Series: The Lightweaver Chronicles [4]
Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Gen, Kal'dorei, Night Elf, Original Character(s), Ren'dorei, Stormwind City, The Void, Void Elves, War of the Thorns | Burning of Teldrassil, World of Warcraft - Freeform, World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:27:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25568983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AJshook/pseuds/AJshook
Summary: It's been just a few weeks since Teldrassil burned. Since Ada'Leya Lightweaver lost the last memories of her home and life there. The last memories of her husband set to flame. Now a refugee like the Kal'Dorei, Leya is trying to do her part to help the survivors, but some people just can't let old prejudice go.
Relationships: Ada'Leya Lightweaver
Series: The Lightweaver Chronicles [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1780693





	Hunting Trip

Leya returned to Stormwind with two healthy deer and some rabbits slung over the back of a palomino shire. It stood outside of the leather shop while Leya bartered and charmed the local tanner into letting her use his facilities for a discount on the skins she was willing to sell him. Leya had some coin on her, but not enough that she was willing to part with it. She still had to make sure she had enough coin to get bandages and herbs for Shade’s wounds. She couldn’t expect Loth to heal him when his talents were needed elsewhere. 

It was a long negotiation, but the tanner was ultimately agreeable and gave Leya access to his tannery to prep and skin her game in exchange for a sizable discount on the furs. It was about as fair a deal as a Ren’dorei was going to get, so she took it. Most of Stormwind tolerated her presence because King Anduin demanded it. Luckily, this one wasn’t so discriminatory that he was unwilling to share his equipment. Leya did not enjoy the idea of gutting and skinning her prey in the woods while protecting it against wolves, and other predators in the area. No, she’d rather take a reduced profit than deal with that. She thanked the tanner and led her horse to the tannery. Leya curled her nose at the smell of blood and piss as they approached. Leatherwork was one of the most thankless jobs in the city, and she was glad that the tanner had had the foresight to set up shop well outside the city’s walls. 

Leya strung up the two deer, gutted them and got to work. The smell of blood soon overpowered that of the piss. She was thankful for it as she removed her skinning knife from her belt and set to work. She wasn’t a master skinner but she sold her furs for a rather fair price. It took her the rest of the afternoon and much of the early evening to skin all she had caught, clean up, and make it back to the city. Then she was off to the butchery to have the meat properly cut into family sized portions and salted. 

Her muscles ached as she loaded the fresh meat back onto her pack horse for the third time; she hadn’t done that much hunting in awhile. Only having her and Shade to worry about meant less big game and more rabbits and fat wild chickens for food. Since the burning, not only did she feel responsible for Loth and Eva but there was also the added pressure to help the other Kal’dorei and Gilnaeans. _Van’s people,_ she reminded herself. Many of them had begrudgingly accepted her over time, but there were still those who sneered, spit, or walked in the opposite direction when they saw her. If it weren’t for Loth and Eva, she knew she would have been run out years ago. 

**_Throw it away. You’re fighting a losing battle, they detest you. They don’t deserve your generosity._**

The susurrations of the Void were right, they didn’t. Any kindness Leya had presented them with had been met with either a cold shoulder or begrudging thanks. Very few had opened up to her and even fewer had gotten to know her. Why should she keep trying? There was no one to try _for_. They would most likely take the meat without a bit of thanks, or ignore the offer all together. She’d spent an entire day trying to help a people who didn’t want or need it. They were Night Elves, and they could hunt these woods on their own. They’d lost their home but they weren’t helpless. They didn’t want her help in Darnassus, nor would they want it now. 

But Eva expected her to be better than them and Van would want her to look after them too. Besides, Leya was more familiar with the area and knew where to hunt... kill them with kindness... That’s what Lene always told her to do. Leya pushed down the whispers and finished packing. Her home and memories had been burned away just as much as theirs, she told herself. They were suffering too. She grabbed her horse by the reins and led it towards the small encampment she, Eva, and Loth were calling home. 

The sun had completely set by the time she crossed the bridge between Old Town and the Dwarven District. The lamps lit up the water and music flowed out of the taverns nearby. She could hear the laughter and cheers of the residents as her and her horse clomped down the cobblestone streets. The cheer emanating from them made her think of Ari and Hela; she missed them. If they were there they’d be singing, dancing, and drinking with the dwarves. They’d push her into the tavern to help her forget about everything else, if only for a moment. 

_You may have chosen that for your own damnation, Leya, but I will not condemn him._

Hela’s words reverberated through her and her heart broke all over again. The void slithered up her arms and warmed her skin against the crisp night air. 

**_Why worry about them? They don’t worry about you, they don’t even want to see you. They abandoned you._**

Her hands tightened around the reins, and she reached out to touch the broad neck of the palomino beside her. The horse spooked and pulled back on the reins in a panic. She hadn’t noticed the Void power laced delicately around her fingers. Leya spoke softly to the horse but the starry quality of her voice didn’t help calm him. Bags of meat fell to the ground and the horse ripped the reins out of her hand. It was a small altercation that sent the horse running across the bridge in the opposite direction. It stopped once it reached the other side of the water, and turned around to look at Leya. It nickered and stomped its foot as if to ask her what had happened. 

Leya let out a long sigh, “don’t move.” The shire shook it’s whole body like a wet dog and snorted, but stayed put. She leaned down and started to pick up the bags; luckily the horse hadn’t crushed anything and the butcher had carefully wrapped each piece so nothing would be spoiled. 

“Even the horse knows not to trust a Ren’dorei.” The voice was light and airy, but cut through the cheer and celebration in the taverns. A Kal’dorei woman with beautiful blue hair pushed behind her shoulders and blue leaf tattoos decorating her silver eyes strode onto the bridge. Her skin was as dark violet as the night sky, but Leya had been around the Kal’dorei long enough to see that her cheeks were flushed from drink. Leya scooped up a few more hunks of wrapped meat before facing her. 

“Balaena.” She had dealt with this Night Elf many times. She was young by Kal’dorei standards, about the same age as Van, and hot headed. She hadn’t been a fan of Leya when she was Sin’dorei, and her hatred had only swelled since she had become Ren’dorei. Her family was to blame but at least _they_ went out of their way to avoid interacting with Leya. Balaena though, she saw tormenting Leya as a game and hunted her around Darnassus for the first year she was there. Had it not been for Van and Eva, she may have never stopped. After that, Balaena had taken advantage of any accidental run ins she and Leya had over the years. “Good to see you survived. Your family is well?” Leya held out a package of meat towards Balaena. It was a larger haunch meant for one of the druid families, but Leya just wanted to avoid the Night Elf’s temper. 

_Kill them with kindness._

“Like I would take any food from you. It’s probably poisoned. Are you trying to finish the job your Warchief started? You were as happy as your Horde family to see my home burn. I always knew your arrival would only serve to ruin my people.” 

“My sisters would never--” Leya bit her tongue as she watched a satisfied grin tug at the corners of Balaena’s lips. Anger flared in Leya’s chest. Balaena loved it when Leya rose to defend her sisters.“Darnassus was my home too.” Leya pulled her offer of food back. If anyone deserved to burn in Teldrassil it was this woman. The Void was content in Leya’s anger; she took that as her cue to leave, she’d been with the Void long enough to recognize when it was becoming overzealous. 

_Keep it under control._

With her food in her arms, Leya crossed the bridge to collect her horse. 

Balaena, in her usual fashion, would not allow Leya to leave with the last word. “We’re not finished.” She strode up beside her and blocked her from taking another step. She stood so close to her that Leya was forced to look up. 

“I think we are.” Leya’s voice cut a little more than she had expected it to, “Now move, Balaena. I have a family to get back to.” 

“Family?” Balaena spat, “You have no family here. The Starwind family doesn’t want you. They _tolerate_ you because you manipulated Vandelar, they should have cast you out the moment you got him killed.” 

Leya snarled, Balaena typically knew better than to involve Van in her pokes and prods, but the flush on her cheeks reminded Leya that the elf was going to be more brazen than usual. “Don’t you dare dishonor Van by bringing him into this insipid argument. Eva is not going to tolerate --.” 

She struck Leya with the back of her fist before she could finish getting the words out. The force behind the hit sent the much smaller Leya stumbling into the stone rail. “He dishonored himself the moment he paraded you around Darnassus.” The food she had in her arms, once again, went scattering and Leya could feel her face swelling and blood on her lip. The Void also swelled with her anger and she could feel it tingling and warming her skin. 

Leya warped out of Balaena’s vision, leaving the Night Elf alone on the bridge. The palomino tossed his head and stamped his foot at the sudden influx of Void energy. She didn’t have her bow, but she did have her skinning knife. Leya reformed behind her, hovering in a mist of black and white. She tackled Balaena and wrapped her legs around her torso. One arm clutched her around the head while the other pressed the knife between her ribs. Leya had gotten rather good at fighting things bigger than herself during the Legion’s invasion. “Do you want to say that again?” Her voice twinkled and hissed. It was a beautiful sound but what was more beautiful was Balaena’s fear in her soft gasp and the sudden quickening of her breath. 

**_Break her neck._ **

The whisper was a seduction. Leya could feel her heart racing with excitement at the thought of finally ending the life of her tormentor. It was the same feeling she had when she tracked a particularly stubborn mark. A successful hunt and a job well done. She twisted Balaena’s head around and felt the tension in her bones as she looked into her big silver eyes. She’d loved eyes like that once. 

Leya’s resolve crumbled. 

The young Night Elf didn’t move and her voice quivered, “You _are_ a monster.” 

**_Just end her. What does she know of you? Of us? She’s plagued you for years. A knife in her belly is the least she deserves._**

Leya grinned and pressed a soft kiss on Balaena’s cheek, “Yes. I am.” Leya stabbed the knife into her skin. She made sure the wound was just deep enough to bleed and let Balaena know who had won this fight. The sound of Balaena’s struggle was music to the Void. It curled around Leya in a warm, encouraging embrace, thanking her. Encouraging her to push the blade deeper. Leya resisted the temptation to see this woman’s insides decorate all of Stormwind. Instead, she threw her weight backwards to knock Night Elf off balance. As Balaena stumbled across the bridge, Leya hopped off her back. Balaena roared in anger and tried to grab Leya. She warped behind her and with one solid shove, she sent Balaena into the shallow canal below. 

The Void was disappointed, but Leya was rather satisfied. She waited and laughed as Balaena splashed and sputtered Darnassian curses as she swam towards one of the many ramps that lead her back to the main road. Leya didn’t bask in her victory for long. As Balaena struggled to pull herself from the water, Leya collected her things and walked over to her horse. The large beast backed away from her and stamped his feet, uncomfortable with the Void presence that still steamed away from her skin. Leya didn’t pursue the horse, she didn’t want to spend the rest of her evening chasing him down. Instead she took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes. She focused on a memory of Van’s laugh. She’d asked him if she could also learn to sleep for months on end, like Loth. It sounded like a vacation, for someone who wasn’t familiar with druidism. His laugh had been so full and unhindered that Leya didn’t even have the time to be embarrassed. 

Her anger settled and the Void slowly receded. 

She approached the horse again, this time he stood still and let Leya tuck the remaining packages of meat away. She gently ran her fingers through his mane before pulling herself onto his back. Using her legs, she steered the horse back over the bridge and nudged him into a gentle canter just as Balaena reached the road. Her face was red with drunken fury. Balaena clutched her side and yelled as Leya rode passed. Leya ignored her and went home. 


End file.
